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Hope From The Ashes
Blurb What if the Dark Forest won? What if the three had a different destiny? The Dark Forest has succeeded in wiping out the clans. The forest is in ashes, and the last hope is gone. The remaining survivors are forced to flee the lake, and find a new home. Written by ThunderClan in the Tardis. Allegiances ThunderClan Survivors * Brambleclaw - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes. * Jayfeather - gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes. * Millie - striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes * Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes * Lionblaze - golden tabby tom with amber eyes * Cinderheart - gray tabby she-cat * Dovewing - pale gray she-cat with blue eyes * Molepaw - brown and cream tom * Amberkit - pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes. * Snowkit - white tom with amber eyes * Lilykit - dark tabby and white she-cat. ShadowClan Survivors * Snowbird - Pure white she-cat * Crowfrost - black-and-white tom * Tawnypelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes * Tigerheart - dark brown tabby tom * Ferretclaw - cream-and-gray tom * Grasskit - spiky furred pale gray she-cat * Spikekit - large tabby tom WindClan Survivors * Kestrelflight - mottled gray tom * Crowfeather - dark gray tom * Heathertail - light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes * Sedgewhisker - light brown tabby she-cat * Crouchpaw - black tom RiverClan Survivors * Reedwhisker - black tom * Willowshine - gray tabby she-cat * Icewing - white she-cat with blue eyes. Dark Forest Most of the Dark Forest Cats Survived, and I will not list them all here, as that will be a lot to list. The living cats who trained with the dark forest have been killed, but a few still remain to bask in the glory of the dark forest, such as Breezepelt. StarClan As there are a lot of StarClan cats, I will not list them all here. StarClan is in ruins. Many cats among their ranks have been killed, and they are weak. The Dark Forest think they have wiped them out for good, but they still remain, waiting for their opportunity to rise again. Prologue - StarClan "We have failed." Bluestar sighed, "Too any have joined our ranks, and too many have faded from it." "We must not give up hope, Bluestar." Firestar persisted, "Not while clan cats still live. The Dark Forest may have won this time, but the clans will still live on." "How can you be sure?" Bluestar turned towards her successor. Her blue-gray head was bowed, and her eyes were dull with grief and shock. Yet there was also a glimmer of hope that showed she desperately wanted the flame-coloured tom to be right. "The clans have always survived. as long as there are cats with warrior blood in their veins, the clans can live on." Firestar reassured his former mentor. "These cats have been through a lot, they won't give up now." " I made the right decision bringing you into the forest." Bluestar murmured. She glanced out to the cats milling around the clearing, lost and shocked about the loss of their homes. "We could all use some of your confidence now." "Believe me Bluestar, I will do everything in my power to save the clans. I may have lost my ninth life, but I will not rest now." Firestar promised. "Firestar is right." Mistystar meowed, walking up to her mother. "We can't give up on them now. I will always stand by RiverClan, and any other cat who wants to keep the clans alive." "I only wish there were some way to talk to the clans." Leafpool murmured with a pang of loss. "It's too dangerous." Firestar reminded his daughter. "We must trust the courage of the cats still living to forge a way to survival." A nearby bush rustled. The chatting cats froze in fear. Out of the bush walked a gray tabby tom, his piercing jay-blue eyes scanning across the clearing. "Jayfeather, you shouldn't be here." Leafpool whispered. "I have always walked where few should, you of all cats know that Leafpool." Jayfeather nodded to his mother and former mentor. "I have heard your conversation, and I wanted to tell you that Firestar is right. I will not rest until all that remains of the clans is safe, and I'm sure every other cat will do the same. Just follow our lead when we go, and the clans may still survive." Chapter 1 - Brambleclaw Fear thudded in Brambleclaw's heart as he glanced around the camp. ThunderClan was overpowered. His heart broke as he looked at his fallen clanmates littered around the camp. No, don't think of that right now, look at the survivors. ThunderClan is still alive! It was true. Cinderheart and Lionblaze were defending Snowkit, Amberkit and Lilykit in the nursery. The kits were huddled in what remained of a mossy nest. Their eyes shone with a fear no kit should know as young as they were, and they were wailing over the loss of Dewkit, Lilykit and their parents. So much suffering for those so young... ''Brambleclaw thought with a pang. He glanced over at the rest of his living clanmates. Squirrelflight and Millie were fighting side by side. Dovewing was defending Jayfeather. The blind medicine cat did not look happy at being protected like a kit, but he made no complaint. Molepaw and Cherrypaw were fighting a large dark forest cat twice their size. The huge tom struck Cherrypaw with a hard blow to the head, and she fell to the ground. She did not get up. Molepaw let out a caterwaul of grief and fought with twice the ferocity that he had before. ''The dead outnumber the living. ''Brambleclaw's stomach turned. ''We can't go on losing cats! "So brother, we meet again." Brambleclaw turned to see the snarling face of his half brother, Hawkfrost. His ice-blue eyes gleamed with triumph and satisfaction. "This time you will not be so lucky." Fear hammered in Brambleclaw's heart. As deputy, it would be his next choice that would either save the clan, or lose it forever. "W-we surrender." He meowed boldly. "We're defeated. Let us go." He prayed to StarClan this it would work. He knew these cats had no mercy or code of honour, but hopefully they would see enough satisfaction in watching the broken clan be driven out of their home. The fighting stopped. Every cat in the hollow stared at them, waiting for Hawkfrost's response. "Go then. Run. Leave your dead and run. Run as far as your shaking legs can carry you. And never forget how you were defeated this day, how your clan was destroyed." Hawkfrost spat. "You are no longer ThunderClan. ThunderClan is no more." "ThunderClan is no more!" The yowl echoed around the camp as every dark forest cat joined in. It rang in Brambleclaw's ears as he gathered his clanmates and left their home. It wasn't until they had left ThunderClan territory that he finally stopped hearing it. "Where will we go?" Cinderheart's mew was muffled by the kit she was carrying. "The Moonpool." Brambleclaw replied as his paws thudded against the dying ground. His voice sounded flat and full of grief. "We must go there and hope the other clans join us. Chapter 2 - Crowfrost Crowfrost crouched, ready for attack. Anger coursed through him. Not only was his clan under attack, but some of ShadowClan's own cats had turned on them. His own best friend, Redwillow, had led the rebellion, and Crowfrost felt his betrayal like a thorn. He spat at the ground as he looked at the dead bodies of Blackstar and Rowanclaw. Redwillow had killed them both. Now ShadowClan was without a leader. But it was worse than that. Blackstar had been his own father. Crowfrost wanted to run over to Blackstar and bury his face in his fur, but he knew he had to remain strong for the Clan. Very few ShadowClan cats remained alive. He pushed his grief under his brewing anger, and sprang towards Redwillow. All of his instincts told him to sheathe his claws and avoid attacking the cat that once was his friend, but Redwillow was not the cat he once knew. He raked his claws across the tortiseshell tom`s face. Redwillow didn`t even wince. He let out a snarl as blood ran down his face. Crowfrost and Redwillow lept towards each other, and the two toms wrestled and screeched around the camp. Crowfrost managed to get a few good blows in, but he knew he was losing. Training in the Dark Forest had given Redwillow a lot more skill than Croswfrost had ever expected. Tired from fighting such a long battle, he fell to the ground as Redwillow barrelled into him. "Do it then." Crowfrost spat. "Finish me off. It's obvious you have forgotten your honour and our friendship." For a second, Redwillow looked stung, but the look quickly faded from his eyes. "I do not wish to hurt you, old friend." Redwillow whispered. "Join us, or I'll be forced to kill you." "At least I'd die fighting for my Clan rather that against it!" Crowfrost spat. How could we have come to this? Redwillow looked at his old friend with pain in his eyes, but Crowfrost had no sympathy for him. He had chosen the blood-stained path he tread. "Then your only choice is to gather your cats and go far away. I cannot promise we won't track you, but it's clear ShadowClan is to torn apart to be a proper Clan. You will live as rogues and forget the warrior code you once clung to like kits." Redwillow spat. "The Dark Forest will live in the victory that ShadowClan is destroyed, and will never return." Staring at his old friend in shock, Crowfrost didn't need to be told twice. He signalled to his clan and raced out of the camp as far as his tired paws could carry him. They had to go far away, so far that the Dark Forest could never find them. The rest of the clan trailed behind him. Tawnypelt and Snowbird each carried one of the two living kits, Spikekit and Grasskit. Tigerheart trailed at the end, making sure every cat was okay. The swiftly crossed the border into ThunderClan territory. Suddenly the ferns in front of them rustled and a cream and gray tom raced out. Crowfrost recognized the young warrior: Ferretclaw. He must have run away from the battle. Coward! "C-Crowfrost!" Ferretclaw panted. "I've come to fetch you! I've just seen Brambleclaw! He said we need to go to the Moonpool!" Chapter 3 - Heathertail Heathertail's ears stung. Her whole body stung. She was out of breath, but she still stood her ground. Around her, her dead clanmates littered the moorside. The remaining cats were greatly outnumbered. Sedgewhisker and Crowfeather looked nearly as exhausted as she felt. Crouchpaw looked dead on his paws, and Kestralflight was trying his best to defend himself, although his fighting skills were few. Heathertail felt numb. There was no way they could win this battle. She wanted to hope that another clan would come to their rescue, but she knew such thinking was foolish. Her mind flashed to Lionblaze, the tom she had loved once. Would even he be able to help against such impossible odds? Heathertail pushed the thought away. Lionblaze was nothing to her now. "Little WindClan cats." A mangy dark forest cat hissed, licking his lips. "Where's your StarClan now?" Breezepelt let out a purr of agreement. Heathertail felt a flash of anger at the tom who had once been her friend. There were days when she had hoped... no. He was a traitor to the warrior code. She felt her heart crack in two. Crowfeather hissed at his son. "How could you side with these... ruffians." He spat. "They are a violation to the warrior code!" "So are your precious ThunderClan kits!" Breezepelt spat, seething with rage. Crowfeather looked stung as Breezepelt continued. "You didn't think much of the code when you ran off with that fox-hearted medicine cat! You dare to tell me to be follow those soft rules? Well you're a filthy, stinking hypocrite! I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done in your miserable little life!" Crowfeather looked at his son with a look of deep sorrow. "Breezepelt, I'm sorry. I wish I had known. I wish I could have saved you from your path of hate and betrayal." "You're lying!" Breezepelt spat. "Nothing can save you from your fate you piece of fox-dung!" Sedgewhisker lay her tail on Crowfeather's flank. "I'm sorry, there's nothing you can do." "All of WindClan is crowfood." The mangy dark forest tom meowed triumphantly. "You're outnumbered. There's no way you can win this battle." "But you're forgetting what WindClan cats do best." Heathertail grew light on her paws and her fur prickled in anticipation. She glanced at her clanmates, and they nodded their understanding. "We run." The remaining WindClan cats streamed out of the camp, growing faster as they raced down the moor. The Dark Forest cats followed, led by Breezepelt, but WindClan was faster. They soon ran out of sight into the forest as they dodged trees and leaped over brambles. They didn't even know where they were heading until they reached a stone path. Kestralflight let out a cry of suprise. "We're at the Moonpool!" Chapter 4 - Brambleclaw Brambleclaw looked around as the cats were getting settled. Jayfeather and Kestralflight were making their rounds, doing their best to make sure the injured could get all the care they could in spite of their situation. The fear scents of ThunderClan, ShadowClan and WindClan washed over him. He could not remember a time when the clans looked so pitiful. Even when the forest had been destroyed, there had been more hope. Then they had StarClan on their side. Now their warrior ancestors were silent. A heavy weight hung over his heart as he looked at what remained of the clans. WindClan and ShadowClan had were leaderless and without a deputy. They looked more like huddled bands of rogues than a clan. ThunderClan didn't look much better off. Millie was soothing the wailing kits, and Molepaw was laden with injuries. The young tom looked barely able to stand. A flicker of anxiety passed through Brambleclaw, was there any way the clans could survive? "Brambleclaw?" The sound of his name caught his attention. He turned to see the ShadowClan warrior, Crowfrost. "Do you think RiverClan's okay?" Brambleclaw blurted out. "Do you think there's any way they survived?" He didn't know what it was that caused him to confide in the black and white warrior. "I don't know." Crowfrost admitted. "I just wanted to make it clear that while we appreciate and accept your help, I have assumed leadership of ShadowClan, and we will not tolerate any ordering around from you." Brambleclaw could tell that despite his brave words, Crowfrost was quite shaken by what had just occured. "I wouldn't expect anything else." Brambleclaw nodded respectfully. "There are still fou- three clans." He trailed off again. "I think we should send a patrol. One of cats from every clan. To see if RiverClan made it." "What!? Are you completely mouse-brained?" Crowfrost spat. "It's dangerous! Do you want us to loose more cats?" "But how else will RiverClan know to meet us here?" Brambleclaw pointed out. "We can't do anything until all four clans are present." Crowfrost sighed. "Ferretclaw!" He beckoned the gray and cream warrior over with his tail. "I noticed how you deserted the battle. Here's your chance to prove your worth as a warrior. We're sending out a patrol to check on RiverClan. I'd like you to go." "Y-yes Crowfrost." The young ShadowClan warrior lowered his head, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. Brambleclaw scanned the ThunderClan cats to see who was the most fit to go. HIs first choice would have been Dovewing, Her senses would have made it easy to locate the missing clan. But Jayfeather had sent her to rest. She had recieved a bad blow to her head, and she looked a little dizzy. He caught the gaze of Lionblaze, and called him over. He was the healthiest cat in ThunderClan at the moment, and his battle skills would help if the patrol ran into trouble. "I'd like you to go with Ferretclaw to try and find RiverClan." Brambleclaw explained. "The lake is no longer a safe place for us to stay, but I don't want to make any decisions without all four clans present." "What if we don't find them?" Lionblaze asked the question Brambleclaw hadn't wanted to think about. "We have to try." Brambleclaw meowed with determination. ''It's what Firestar would have done. What I wouldn't give to have him here now. '' Chapter 5 - Heathertail Heathertail lead Ferretclaw and Lionblaze across the moorland. The toms seemed on edge, jumping at every unfamiliar rustle. She supposed that was only natural, given the current circumstances, but she felt a flicker of annoyance. No cat spoke a word as they made their journey. Heathertail steadily lead them around clumps of heather and through dips and ridges. If it had not been for the scuffed up ground and the fear scents of the patrol, she could almost pretend that the battle had been nothing but a terrible dream, and that the open moorland was still her home. Every time the wind whistled over a ridge, she felt a pang of homesickness. Would she ever hear that sound again? Suddenly Heathertail heard a yelp of pain. Fur on end, she spun around to see Ferretclaw sprawled out on the grass.